So Your Child Is Into Minecraft…Now What? Toby Scott, Leading Expert in Gaming PC's and Founder of Disturbed PC, Offers Tips to Parents
(PRWEB) July 30, 2014 -- The popularity of video games, for both console and PC, has grown exponentially in recent years as more and more games are being released. So what is Minecraft and how does it fit into this video game growth? Minecraft has no huge plotline, involves clunky graphics, and has no end goal yet millions of gamers are obsessed with it. Instead, gamers tend to spend a lot of time fighting monsters or digging up dirt to build houses and other complex structures (A Parent's Guide to Minecraft: 5 Reasons to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Cubes, Yahoo Tech, April 21, 2014).
As a parent, supervision needs to be the main focus even though this game may be less violent than others. Some of the situations kids are exposed to may be beyond their age level like traveling through creepy caverns or killing zombies.
“You might think that hopping around a virtual world battling spiders the size of golden retrievers is a colossal waste of time. It’s not. Playing Minecraft helps your child hone his mathematical, spatial, and analytical abilities, says Joel Levin, a Brooklyn school teacher who created MinecraftEdu to help teachers bring the game into their classrooms. Parents can help by pushing their kids to be even more creative inside the game, he adds.” (A Parent’s Guide to Minecraft: Yahoo, April 21, 2014).
Parents can even game alongside their kids with Minecraft apps now available on mobile devices. There are many ways to introduce kids to Minecraft if their parents are concerned about the monster aspect. The game has something called Creative mode so they don’t have to worry about the monsters and instead can focus on building.
“There has been a huge influx of both kids and adults coming into the gaming lounge to play Minecraft,” states Toby Scott, leading expert in gaming PCs and founder of Disturbed PC. “It boggles my mind how popular this game has become and yet I can see the appeal of running from zombies and building amazingly complex structures. Every person who plays has a different experience so parents need to be aware of how the game works and what it is all about. That way parents and their kids, won’t get too frustrated as players learn complex skills or get overwhelmed by the intensity.” (Ten Problems That Parents Can Have With Minecraft, Mine MUM)
One great thing about the popularity of Minecraft is the amount of information available. When the parents know how to reach the information safely, they can then show their kids what websites can be trusted to impart correct information or they will know where they can take their kids to learn. Perhaps an older sibling or friend can teach a youngster how to play. Another possibility is taking the child to a gaming lounge where they will be supervised during their gameplay.
“Gaming has become a huge part of our culture here in the United States throughout all age groups. If you are not a gamer yourself and yet your kids are, Minecraft will provide you with a great opportunity to learn about how gaming affects the lives of your kids and how they can actually learn many different life skills while they’re at it,” says Scott.
Toby Scott is available for interviews, contact Robin Nolan at McDavid Public Relations. 919-745-9333
Robin Nolan, McDavid Public Relations, http://www.mcdavidpr.com, +1 800-880-9991, [email protected]
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